The Canadian Pork Council’s hog traceability system has picked up over $3.7 million in federal funding to develop the national database needed to track hog movements across the country.
The government in May put up $3.3 million for the first phase of what’s been dubbed PigTrace Canada, in which the CPC developed the tag distribution system for hogs.
In PigTrace’s second phase, hog movement information is to be combined into one centralized database, the government said in a release Thursday.
Both pledges come from the Growing Forward ag policy funding framework through the Canadian Integrated Food Safety Initiative (CIFSI), which backs national organizations to set up traceability processes and systems.
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The funding announced Thursday is subject to the signing of a contribution agreement, the government said.
“A national traceability system will not only give Canada a competitive edge when working to access new markets but it can also be used as a marketing tool for producers to help get a better return for their high-quality products,” the government said.
Also, in the event of a potential animal disease outbreak, a national database would allow the CPC to “quickly” identify what farm a hog came from and what other animals it may have come in contact with, the government said.
“Today’s investment in hog traceability will pay dividends to the entire value chain here in Ontario and across Canada for generations to come,” Kitchener-area MP Harold Albrecht said during Thursday’s announcement, held at Conestoga Meat Packers at nearby Breslau.
